The Grand Canyon State continues to be the subject of debate for some time. Governor Jan Brewer decried SB1070 which Obama has questioned as being unconstitutional. There still is no answer on the law that lets authorities verify immigration status of everyone they come into contact with within the state. The Justice Department decided to such Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County. This just heats up the battle between Grand Canyon State and the federal government. The Justice Department says that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has not cooperated with an investigation of civil rights abuses.
Sheriff Joe suspected of discrimination
The investigation began to fight tactics Sheriff Arpaio supposedly used. Evidently he wanted to “sweep” illegal immigrants by only targeting Hispanics, whether or not they were legal. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hispanic areas were targeted by the Maricopa County Sheriff deputies that stopped everyone for anything. Deputies were designed to check immigration status while there. Before the Arizona immigration law was even proposed, they were doing this. The Justice Department requested documentation on these sweeps from Sheriff Arpaio, which he was loathe to comply with. He would let federal investigators in the building or give them the material wanted.
Received numerous lawsuits
The Maricopa Sheriff is no stranger to lawsuits. He has been sued numerous times by families of inmates who have passed away in his jail, the notorious Tent City, which is really virtually a collection of tents within the desert surrounded by high fences with barbed wire at the top. There is also an ongoing grand jury investigation into Sheriff Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for corruption, according to ABC. The Office got the request for materials and paperwork over a year ago. This originated from the Justice Department. Attorneys suing Arpaio’s department were intended to be able to get a hold of the documents that a federal judge found the Sheriff’s Office had destroyed.
Find more information on this subject
ABC News
blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/09/justice-department-sues-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.html
LA Times
latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lawsuit-arpaio-20100903,,2874529.story
